Mass. man injured after jumping inside CVS during police chase

By JASON SCHREIBERUnion Leader Correspondent

PLAISTOW — A Massachusetts man who police say tried to evade them by running into a CVS pharmacy Monday ended up in a Boston hospital after police say he jumped from a mezzanine floor inside the store and injured his groin area when he landed on a railing 10 feet below.

.Sharif Allende, 22, of 79 Haverhill St., No. 3, Lawrence, Mass., remained hospitalized Tuesday after he was injured. Police said he was attempting to flee with another man after an accident involving a stolen car...Deputy Police Chief Kathleen Jones said police were notified Monday around 9 a.m. of a vehicle striking another vehicle from behind and then fleeing from the scene on Route 125 in the area of MB Tractor...According to Jones, a driver who witnessed the accident followed the suspect vehicle — a beige 1996 Toyota Camry reportedly stolen from Methuen, Mass. — onto East Road in Atkinson. Jones said the vehicle, which sustained substantial front-end damage and was smoking as it sped off, stopped, and one suspect got out and took off on foot in the area of Lisheen Drive...Jones said a second suspect, later identified as Allende, continued driving the car and fled the scene again heading southbound on Route 125...Allende stopped in the parking lot of Auto Zone on Route 125 and then left the vehicle and ran into a CVS store, Jones said...Plaistow police were at the scene and chased him into the store...Jones said the suspect attempted to escape through the rear employee area of the store...At one point he climbed up stairs leading to a mezzanine, but with police following close behind, Jones said Allende jumped and hit the railing...He was then taken into custody and brought to the police station and was later treated at Exeter Hospital for his injury. He has since been sent to a Boston hospital for further treatment...Police have not yet charged Allende...“The priority is to make sure he gets the proper treatment,” Jones said...The second man who allegedly tried to flee was also arrested...Shortly before 9:30 a.m., Atkinson police received a call that a man matching the description of the first suspect who fled on foot was walking in the area of Linebrook and East roads, Jones said. He was wearing tan shorts and no shirt...Officers from Atkinson and Plaistow responded to the scene and arrested Irving F. Diaz, 22, of Lawrence, Mass. Police said he is homeless...Diaz is charged with theft for allegedly receiving stolen property, conduct after an accident, speeding, following too closely and operating after suspension...He was ordered held at the Rockingham County jail on $5,000 cash bail at his arraignment Tuesday morning in the 10th Circuit Court, Plaistow District Division. He is due back in court Aug. 5 for a probable cause hearing...Jones said the driver of the vehicle that was hit during the accident was not seriously injured...Jones commended the Plaistow and Atkinson officers for their help at the scene as well as the Essex County Sheriff’s Department for helping identify the two men...“They did a great job. They were right on it. The whole situation could have spun out of control quickly,” she said...jschreiber@newstote.com..